Simple, said the new Detroit Lions receiver.
“I’m just a football player, man,” Benson said. “I’m just a kid from Texas who likes to play football.”
One of two receivers acquired at last week’s roster cut deadline, Benson called the trade that brought him to Detroit from the Denver Broncos “a blessing in disguise.”
The Lions traded fifth- and seventh-round picks to Denver for Benson, who spent two years on the Broncos practice squad after going undrafted out of tiny East Central University. The Lions also received a 2023 sixth-round choice in the deal.
Benson said he had just two Division II scholarship offers coming out of high school, to East Central and the school’s rival, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where Detroit Pistons legend Dennis Rodman played college basketball.
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Benson led the Broncos with eight catches for 80 yards and two touchdowns this preseason. He was on the roster bubble in Denver, but could climb as high as No. 4 on what’s turning out to be a crowded depth chart in Detroit.
The Lions have seven receivers on their current roster, including Benson and fellow newcomer KhaDarel Hodge.
“They basically just want me to come and continue what I was doing,” Benson said. “They saw the tape and the plays that I was making, they just want me to continue to do that, continue to learn the offense and just keep getting better.”
Like Benson, Hodge, who was claimed off waivers from the Cleveland Browns, said he is looking forward to a fresh start in Detroit with people “that believe in me and believe in my talent and believe in what I can do.”
Lions general manager Brad Holmes was with the Los Angeles Rams when the team signed Hodge as an undrafted free agent in 2018, and Lions executive John Dorsey claimed Hodge off waivers the following year as general manager of the Browns.
Hodge has 17 catches in three NFL seasons and was a four-phase special teams player in Cleveland. In Detroit, he could see immediate playing time as a gunner on punt team and a backup receiver.
“I can do whatever,” Hodge said. “I can play inside, I can play outside, I can make plays down the field, 50-50 balls. I’m just here to showcase my talents and prove that I am a receiver in the NFL and not just a special teamer.”
A high school quarterback who played receiver at Prairie View A&M, Hodge said he never played special teams and never learned to tackle until he got to the NFL.
“I was the quarterback in high school, so they couldn’t touch me and I definitely wasn’t trying to tackle them,” he said.
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In 2019, Hodge made 13 special teams tackles and finished third on the Browns in special teams snaps.
Both he and Benson could make their Lions debuts in this week’s regular season opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
“I ended up enjoying it and found out that I was actually pretty good at it,” Hodge said. “And I did realize at that time that it was a way that I needed to stay on the field so I needed to take advantage of it and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Briefly
Lions coach Dan Campbell said the team did not have any positive COVID-19 tests when players returned from the long weekend off. “No worries,” Campbell said. “We came out fine. We came out good. We’re happy about that for sure.” Unvaccinated players who test positive for COVID-19 must miss a minimum of 10 days. Vaccinated players who test positive can rejoin the team, once asymptomatic, after consecutive negative tests.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.